39th John Coltrane Memorial Concert Takes Place at Northeastern University on Saturday, October 29

The 39th John Coltrane Memorial Concert is taking place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 29, 2016 at the Blackman Auditorium at Northeastern University.

 Tickets are available online or at the venue.

The concert, entitled An Evening of Ballads & Blues, features music composed or made famous  by John Coltrane.   The evening is hosted by Eric Jackson, co-produced by Leonard Brown and Emmett G. Price III.

The concert is organized by the Friends of John Coltrane Memorial Concert (fJCMC) in collaboration with the Northeastern Center for the Arts and Northeastern Department of City and Community Affairs.

The JCMC ensemble includes Carl Atkins (reeds and woodwinds), Billy Buss (trumpet), Consuelo Candelaria (piano), Allan Chase (reeds and woodwinds), Jeff Galindo (trombone), Jason Palmer(trumpet), Nat Reeves (bass), Ron Savage (percussion), Rick Stepton (trombone), Stan Strickland (reeds. woodwinds and voice), Bobby Tynes (reeds and woodwinds).

For year round jazz in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com.

Honk! Fest Street Band Festival in Somerville and Cambridge on October 7-9

Photo by Benjamin Greenberg

Dozens of bands - from Boston to Brazil - are participating in the annual HONK! Festival in Cambridge and Somerville, starting Friday, October 7 and running through Sunday, October 9, 2016.  The festival is free and open to the public.  Here is a schedule of performances. 

Among the bands participating this year are La Fanfare Invisible from Paris,France; Le Ponpier Pony Club from Marseille, France; the Mayday March Band from Pittsburgh,PA;  the Chaotic Insurrection Band from Montreal, QC; the Yes Ma'am Brass Band from Austin, TX; and the Rude Mechanic Orchestra from New York City, NY. 

Among the bands from the New England region are the Dirty Water Brass Band from Boston; the Brass Balagan from Burlington, VT;  the Bread & Puppet Circus Band from Glover, VT;  and the Extraordinary Rendition Band from Province, RI. 

 Here is a list of the bands, or check out Honk! Facebook. 

The festival culminates on Sunday, October 9, with a parade from noon to 2:00 p.m., starting in Davis Square in Somerville and ending in Harvard Square, Cambridge, where the bands will perform for the remainder of the afternoon as part of the Oktoberfest.  

Find year round details on jazz in Massachusetts by visiting MassJazz.com.

For visitor information go to MassVacation.com and CambridgeUSA.org. 

5th annual Holyoke Latin Jazz Festival on Saturday, October 8 at City Hall Ballroom in Holyoke

Ray Gonzalez

The 5th annual Holyoke Latin Jazz Festival is taking place from 6:00 - 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 8 at the Holyoke City Hall Ballroom, located at 536 Dwight Street in Holyoke.

Admission is $5-10 and can be purchased online or at the venue.

This year's festival features both Latin jazz and traditional salsa, with performers Heshima Mojo and Ofrecimiento, trumpet player Ray Gonzalez & the Latin Jazz Quintet, and Jesus Pagan & Conjuncto Barrio.

Local food on site include Salsarengue Restaurant, serving Puerto Rican food, and Damn Yankee BBQ, and Waterfront Tavern, serving local craft brews and other drinks.

The event is supported by the Holyoke Local Cultural Council.

Find year round jazz in Massachusetts by visiting MassJazz.com.

For visitor information to to MassVacation.com.

Pittsfield CityJazz Festival, October 7-16, Features Karrin Allyson, Scott Robinson and other Jazz Greats

Jazz vocalist Karrin Allyson, saxophonist Scott Robinson and the U.S. Army Jazz Ambassadors are headlining the 12th annual Pittsfield CityJazz Festival, taking place in Pittsfield, MA from October 7-16, 2016. 

Allyson and the Jazz Ambassadors perform at 7:30 p.m. the Colonial Theatre on Saturday, October 15.  Tickets are available here. 

Robinson and his quartet perform at Flavours Restaurant  at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, October 14.

In addition, the festival includes an annual jazz crawl; a concert in the Jazz Prodigy series; and an exhibit of jazz photography by noted photographer Ken Franckling.  Most of the festival’s events are free.  Here is a full schedule. 

For year round information on jazz in Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com. 

For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com.